Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hi, I got a new job in DC, so we will be moving very soon to the DC area from the Mid-West. My work is north-east side of the Capitol and close to a red line metro station.
When it comes to deciding where to live, our priorities are good schools/neighborhood and the ease of commute. We have three children at school ages. My wife is a homemaker. My salary will be about $120K/yr. We should be able to afford a house about $500k-$600k once we sell our current home (we are planning on renting initially). We are thinking about $3k for monthly rent.
Previously, we were very interested in Falls Church City or nearby (so this might show what our preference would be). Mostly homes in Falls Church City looked expensive, we thought, but it had such a good appeal so we'd be willing to pay a lot for less size/features, etc. But, right now we are in town and exploring several areas, and I realize that it might be a bit too much of commute. So I thought about maybe Arlington or Alexandria. But housing there is not necessarily cheaper compared to Fairfax county, with not better schools (no offense to those who live there, I am just following the info from greatschools.org). Plus, I'm not sure how much easier the commute will become by just being a little closer to DC. It looks like, if I drive, it's going to be just bad, whether that's Falls Church or Arlington. I should take metro, but its Orange Line and I should transfer to Red. So, it'll be like an hour. Right? Either way it's not appealing any more. Please comment on this.
So, maybe I should consider Maryland? Bethesda or Rockville seems slightly out of our reach. As we explore during this trip, we find some neighborhoods of Silver Spring very appealing and the commute should be good either by car or metro (that's Red Line!). Any word of caution? Another possibility might be Gaithersburg and we should be able to find nice homes that my wife would particularly fall in love with. And the commute should be still good (that's still Red Line). Am I thinking right? Please comment.
Now, as our interest gets shifted from VA to MD, I wonder if there's anything else we should consider when "choosing a state to live"--which I had no prior experience in . For example, are property taxes comparable? Or are those expenses similar--like city services like utilities, trash pick-up, etc? Are there some unique things in either VA or MD (like the smoke check--which I consider a hassle)?
Oh, I almost forgot...this might sound really silly, but the in-state tuition of U of MD looks a lot cheaper than that of U of VA. I don't know how to interpret that. I consider U of MD a pretty good school that I'd be happy to send my kids to. I don't necessarily consider U of VA a lot better, so I can't justify myself the higher tuition. Because my son will go to college in 3 years, this is also another point of consideration.
I would appreciate any comment/info/advice you might have.
I was with you until you said the UVA and UMD are fairly equivalent. They are not, but then again it is very hard to get into UVA, so I don't know whether it would be a factor.
Thank you for the input, lackadaisi. I was just comparing their "flagship" state universities, without thinking about the competition to get in, etc. Maybe there should be other schools than UVA or UMD, so, your comment made me do some research...it seems that there are more "well-known" public colleges/universities in VA than in MD, so that may be a factor to consider then (if we send our kids to public colleges, which is likely)---don't tell me that all public colleges in VA are harder than to get in than those in MD.
Any more comments regarding the general differences between VA and MD? I really wonder how people decide VA or MD. It cannot be done just at random, right? Like, McLean or Bethesda? Assuming that they can afford both, what are the factors that go into their decision? That's really what I am curious about.
You may need to look farther out if you want to live in Virginia. Arlington or McLean are quite expensive and probably won't be doable on $120K. Try something like Springfield maybe. But it's also a lot farther from your place of work.
You mentioned you'll be working near a red line station in NE DC. I think Silver Spring, Maryland would be great for what you're looking for. BTW, UMCP may not be as prestigious as UVA. But it's still a solid school. If your son gets a good degree, like in one of the engineerings, then he'll be set.
You may need to look farther out if you want to live in Virginia. Arlington or McLean are quite expensive and probably won't be doable on $120K. Try something like Springfield maybe. But it's also a lot farther from your place of work.
You mentioned you'll be working near a red line station in NE DC. I think Silver Spring, Maryland would be great for what you're looking for. BTW, UMCP may not be as prestigious as UVA. But it's still a solid school. If your son gets a good degree, like in one of the engineerings, then he'll be set.
Thanks for your comments. Don't get me wrong. I know I can't afford McLean--I was just making a hypothetical comparison of Bethesda vs McLean. I wondered what decision factors would be. Also, we don't necessarily need to or want to live in Virginia. We consider both VA and MD at the same level and want to weigh the pros and cons.
From my limited experience so far, I kind of sensed people being snobbish about living in VA. At least one of my acquaintances who lives in Fairfax said to me that "you will probably want to live in VA." Also it seems that there are more so-called "affluent" or "upscale" neighborhoods in VA than in MD. Does it mean there is such thing as a "Virginia premium?" Is it real or simply my imagination? If it is real, I will say it's not me, i.e., I will not choose to pay the premium to "live in VA."
Any comment on this? I would really like to know any important difference between VA and MD. So far, the only factual difference is that there are more prestigious colleges in VA and MD, which shouldn't be essential to my decision now.
You made me a bit curious, so I did a little research myself. The instate tuition for UMD and UVA is actually very close, especially when you look at the schools' lists of expected costs. The out-of-state tuition for UVA is much higher, reflecting the higher demand for the school. This would actually make me lean towards Virginia if my kid had a shot of going there. Plus there are so many other good (but not as competitive) schools in VA that have lower tuitions and a huge variety of good programs. If you were to make a choice between MD and VA strictly on college issues based strictly on college issues, this would be a no brainer - Virginia wins hands down.
DC is another option. As chicagotodc noted, there is a tuition program, DC TAG, which helps cover the difference between instate and outofstate tuitions throughout the country. Not every school is included, but the list of those that are is huge. It covers up to $10k/year, which is certainly a help everywhere and covers the difference in most places, but UVA is still $15k/ year more expensive for DC residents than those from VA (UMD is about $8k/year more for DC residents than those from MD, but almost the total difference is covered for schools like Mary Washington).
For us, the flexibility of the DC program would outweigh the cost benefits of living in VA (plus, We like the city), but if we were looking at high schools right now, DC would only be an option for us if we lived inbounds for Wilson. But, if you think your child might want to go to a school a bit further afield, I would find a way to make move to the Wilson district because that could save you some cash in the long run and your child would have a lot of options.
Thanks for your comments. Don't get me wrong. I know I can't afford McLean--I was just making a hypothetical comparison of Bethesda vs McLean. I wondered what decision factors would be. Also, we don't necessarily need to or want to live in Virginia. We consider both VA and MD at the same level and want to weigh the pros and cons.
From my limited experience so far, I kind of sensed people being snobbish about living in VA. At least one of my acquaintances who lives in Fairfax said to me that "you will probably want to live in VA." Also it seems that there are more so-called "affluent" or "upscale" neighborhoods in VA than in MD. Does it mean there is such thing as a "Virginia premium?" Is it real or simply my imagination? If it is real, I will say it's not me, i.e., I will not choose to pay the premium to "live in VA."
Any comment on this? I would really like to know any important difference between VA and MD. So far, the only factual difference is that there are more prestigious colleges in VA and MD, which shouldn't be essential to my decision now.
I'm glad you asked about this, because I can give some context. First of all, the DC area is the most affluent metro area in the U.S. in terms of median household income. (This may come as a surprise to some people, but it's true.) So, even the "poorer" areas around here are actually not poor compared to most of the nation.
Within the DC area itself, the west is on the whole more wealthy than the east. Loudoun and Fairfax counties are 2 of the wealthiest in the U.S. If you're big on the "prestige" factor, then these are the counties to live in. Howard (in the Baltimore area) and Montgomery are not far behind. Bethesda and Potomac are traditionally rich suburbs. The actual richest suburb in the DC area is Chevy Chase Village, I believe. Prince George's county is the wealthiest majority African American county in the U.S. as well.
Another thing to note is that the DC area is very dynamic and mobile. What this means is that neighborhoods change quickly and wealth can easily shift from one place to another. 25 years ago, Montgomery County used to be the wealthiest in the area. But that changed when the IT sector boomed and the job market became hot in northern Virginia. The city of DC has also changed as more and more gentrification has crept eastward. Now, there are indications that affluence may be starting to shift to the east in the metro area itself as many people are snatching up properties that have been depressed from foreclosure in Prince George's County. So, 10 years from now, this area might look pretty different than it does now.
These are some of the many things to consider. I hope I was helpful.
Also, thanks to lackadaisi and chicago2dc for mentioning the DC TAG program---something to keep in mind, for sure.
It's very interesting, learning experience so far.
This is slightly off the topic but, a lingering question, maybe a thought-provoking question---Do I really want to belong to one of the "affluent" suburbs? Gee, only if it were not for the kids, I would say "no, I'm not interested."
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. For example, are property taxes comparable? Or are those expenses similar--like city services like utilities, trash pick-up, etc? Are there some unique things in either VA or MD (like the smoke check--which I consider a hassle)?
